Valérie Donzelli

Acting

Valérie Donzelli

Born 1973-03-02 · Épinal, Vosges, France

Valérie Donzelli (born 2 March 1973) is a French actress, filmmaker and screenwriter. She has directed five feature films and two short films since 2008, including the film Declaration of War (2011).

Acting credits

No artwork available
1.0

A former police officer, Marc Lorca, sees his wife die from a terrible car accident, which occurred while he was driving. Previously alcoholic, Lorca seems to collapse under the weight of guilt. But a former colleague, Marianne Duriez, recently become a police captain, shows him that the accident is not accounted by any negligence on his part. The survey of experts has indeed revealed that the steering axis of the vehicle was sabotaged. Gradually, the suspect list is expanding. Lorca realizes he knows nothing of the past of his deceased wife, who was obviously part of a small extreme left group.

Passés troubles

2006

Vultures poster
6.6

Samuel, a journalist, and Ava, his intern and daughter, cover the murder of a young girl for their magazine. Through their investigation, they discover disturbing similarities with the murder of another woman.

Vultures

2025

At Work poster
6.6

A successful photographer gives up everything to devote himself to writing and discovers poverty.

At Work

2026

The Art of Seduction poster
4.5

Jean-François is a psychoanalyst in love with one of his patients. When she decides to stop therapy, Jean-François at last feels free to seduce the woman. Paralyzed when in front of his object of love, Jean-François accumulates blunders of every kind. He hence turns to Julien, one his patients who is in therapy to overcome his compulsive-obsessive flirting disorder. It's a totally absurd initiative on Jean-François's part. But, even so...

The Art of Seduction

2011

Saint Laurent poster
6.1

1967-1976. As one of history's greatest fashion designers entered a decade of freedom, neither came out of it in one piece.

Saint Laurent

2014

The Necrophile poster
4.3

A story of a very ordinary man who just happens to be necrophile. (He is also like to eat cockroaches.) Problems begins when his pretty orphan cousin came to live with him...

The Necrophile

2004

Hear Me Out poster
6.4

Antoine, a history teacher in his early 50s, learns that he has become very hard of hearing. Unable to own up to his handicap, he resigns himself to living in his bubble, even though his entourage finds his behavior increasingly odd. His encounter with Claire, widow and mother of a young girl who has stopped speaking, will lead him to open up to the world. 

Hear Me Out

2021

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Claude

2026

A Stormy Summer Night poster
4.4

Pierre and Maria, a Parisian couple, travel to Spain with their daughter and her friend. When a violent storm hits they must settle for the night in a tiny hotel in a small Andalusian city. This small city has been the scene of a crime of passion. The police search the murderer, an immigrant worker. The whole city is aroused by this murderous act which roused resentment and a dangerous desire for vengeance...

A Stormy Summer Night

2015

Madeleine Collins poster
6.0

Judith leads a double life between Switzerland and France. On the one hand Abdel, with whom she is raising a little girl, on the other Melvil with whom she has two older boys. Little by little, this fragile balance, made up of lies, secrets and back and forth, cracks dangerously. Trapped, Judith chooses to head forward, at the risk of losing everything.

Madeleine Collins

2021

Making Of poster
5.7

Simon, a well-known French filmmaker, starts shooting his next film. A story about workers fighting to protect their factory from being relocated. But nothing goes as planned... His producer Viviane wants to rewrite the ending and is threatening to cut the budget; his own crew goes on strike; his personal life is in shambles; and to make things worse, his lead actor Alain is an egocentric jerk. Joseph, an extra who wants to get into the film industry, agrees to direct the making of and shoot the behind-the-scenes. He takes his role very seriously and starts following around the crew, capturing all this mess... What follows is proof that the making of can sometimes be far better than the film itself!

Making Of

2024

This Life of Mine poster
5.3

Barbie, once an attractive, devoted mother and partner, faces newfound challenges as she turns 55, descending into darkness, violence, and absurdity while grappling with her identity, relationships, and life's complexities.

This Life of Mine

2024

Come Undone poster
6.4

Story of two gorgeous, young French boys who begin a passionate relationship that boils over and threatens to destroy both their lives. Shy 18-year-old Mathieu is on summer vacation in the south of France. He spends his days lazily sunning himself at the beach, until he spies the handsome Cédric and falls in love.

Come Undone

2000

Declaration of War poster
7.0

Roméo and Juliette are two young actors. They fall in love at first sight, move in together and make a baby. A love story and the founding of a home like millions of others. Except that their little boy, Adam, behaves abnormally. The young parents try hard to persuade themselves that everything is okay but, with the passing of time, they cannot delude themselves anymore: their son has a problem. From now on, war is declared. A war against illness. A war against Death. A war against despair.

Declaration of War

2011

Ivory Tower poster
6.4

The film revolves around a sibling rivalry between two brothers, Hershell and Thadeus Graves (played by Gonzales and Tiga, respectively), as they compete during a game of chess. Peaches plays Marsha Thirteen, a former performance artist and the shared love interest of both brothers.

Ivory Tower

2010

No artwork available
NR

Is there such a thing as strictly feminine cinema? Is it more difficult for a woman than for a man to direct a film? Is gender parity necessary in the industry? Actress and producer Julie GAYET and actor and director Mathieu BUSSON ask these questions to twenty French woman filmmakers, who face a camera together for the first time. After over an hour of lively, informal, spontaneous and funny interviews, it becomes obvious that these issues are still problematic and definitely worthy of a documentary. As Mia HANSEN-LØVE remarks, “In the eyes of the people, a woman’s film is always a woman’s film, while a man’s movie is simply… a movie”.

Cinéast(e)s

2013

Belleville Tokyo poster
4.8

Un couple se dirige vers un train en partance pour Venise. Sur le quai, Julien annonce à Marie qu’il part en rejoindre une autre et s’en va, la laissant seule à Paris, enceinte. Bouleversée, Marie se refuse à être victime de cette situation. Elle trouve du réconfort dans son travail auprès de ses deux « cow-boys » de patrons, Jean-Jacques et Jean-Loup, qui dirigent un cinéma du quartier latin spécialisé dans les films classiques américains…

Belleville Tokyo

2011

No artwork available
NR

The story of a couple told in reverse chronological order.

A Couple

The Big Bad Wolf poster
5.2

Once upon a time in 2012, three brothers lived happily. One day their mom fell into a coma. So Henri, Philippe, and Louis suddenly started wondering about the meaning of their lives and were swamped by a wave of existential doubts. An entirely new situation for this bourgeois trio in their forties, one which opened a door to the novel and indeed the forbidden... and to the big bad wolf!

The Big Bad Wolf

2013

Odile... poster
1.0

An ordinary bakery beside a country road. Behind the counter stands Odile, so ordinary it hurts. One day, a gang of bikers stops in front of the bakery. The past will invade Odile's life, bringing with it her most violent memories. This confrontation slowly turns her life on its head.

Odile...

2006

Cold Lands poster
5.3

A young Frenchman of Arab descent, Djamel, becomes convinced that his long-lost father is a rich factory owner in Grenoble. When the man coldly rejects him, Djamel plots a revenge that will implicate the man's closeted gay son.

Cold Lands

1999

Capri poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Capri

2008

Azuro poster
4.9

It’s summer, the heat is overwhelming and the weather is out of whack. A group of friends are enjoying their yearly holiday in their favorite little village, wedged between the sea and the mountains. As usual, they are bored and eat and drink a lot. They do not pay attention to the fire which progresses on the mountain nearby, nor to the world around them. But this year, a mysterious man arrives from the sea and shakes up their seemingly balanced existence...

Azuro

2022

The Musicians poster
6.4

Astrid Thompson finally succeeds in fulfilling her father's dream: to bring together four Stradivarius for a unique concert, eagerly expected by music lovers around the world. But Lise, George, Peter and Apolline, the four virtuosos recruited for the occasion, are incapable of playing together. The rehearsals are one ego crisis after another. With no solution in sight, Astrid decides to go and find the only person who, in her eyes, can still save the event: Charlie Beaumont, the composer of the score.

The Musicians

2025

Behind the camera

At Work poster
6.6

A successful photographer gives up everything to devote himself to writing and discovers poverty.

At Work

2026

At Work poster
6.6

A successful photographer gives up everything to devote himself to writing and discovers poverty.

At Work

2026

Just the Two of Us poster
6.9

When Blanche meets Grégoire, she thinks she has found the one. The ties that bind them grow quickly, and a passionate affair ensues. Together, they relocate. For Blanche, far from her family, from her twin sister, Rose, a new life begins. But little by little, she finds herself caught in the grip of a deeply possessive and dangerous man.

Just the Two of Us

2023

Just the Two of Us poster
6.9

When Blanche meets Grégoire, she thinks she has found the one. The ties that bind them grow quickly, and a passionate affair ensues. Together, they relocate. For Blanche, far from her family, from her twin sister, Rose, a new life begins. But little by little, she finds herself caught in the grip of a deeply possessive and dangerous man.

Just the Two of Us

2023

Marguerite & Julien poster
5.7

Julien and Marguerite de Ravalet, son and daughter of the Lord of Tourlaville, have loved each other tenderly since childhood. But as they grow up, their affection veers toward voracious passion.

Marguerite & Julien

2015

Marguerite & Julien poster
5.7

Julien and Marguerite de Ravalet, son and daughter of the Lord of Tourlaville, have loved each other tenderly since childhood. But as they grow up, their affection veers toward voracious passion.

Marguerite & Julien

2015

Declaration of War poster
7.0

Roméo and Juliette are two young actors. They fall in love at first sight, move in together and make a baby. A love story and the founding of a home like millions of others. Except that their little boy, Adam, behaves abnormally. The young parents try hard to persuade themselves that everything is okay but, with the passing of time, they cannot delude themselves anymore: their son has a problem. From now on, war is declared. A war against illness. A war against Death. A war against despair.

Declaration of War

2011

Declaration of War poster
7.0

Roméo and Juliette are two young actors. They fall in love at first sight, move in together and make a baby. A love story and the founding of a home like millions of others. Except that their little boy, Adam, behaves abnormally. The young parents try hard to persuade themselves that everything is okay but, with the passing of time, they cannot delude themselves anymore: their son has a problem. From now on, war is declared. A war against illness. A war against Death. A war against despair.

Declaration of War

2011

No artwork available
NR

The story of a couple told in reverse chronological order.

A Couple

No artwork available
NR

The story of a couple told in reverse chronological order.

A Couple

Notre Dame poster
4.9

Maud is an architect and a mother. Due to a misunderstanding, she wins the competition to refurbish the parvis of Notre-Dame. Torn between these responsibilities and love issues, she will go through an emotional storm.

Notre Dame

2019

Notre Dame poster
4.9

Maud is an architect and a mother. Due to a misunderstanding, she wins the competition to refurbish the parvis of Notre-Dame. Torn between these responsibilities and love issues, she will go through an emotional storm.

Notre Dame

2019

Just Love! poster
6.3

Silvia’s father grants her permission to meet Dorante, the man she’s promised to in marriage, by pretending to be her servant Lisette, who in turn will play the role of her mistress.

Just Love!

2013

Just Love! poster
6.3

Silvia’s father grants her permission to meet Dorante, the man she’s promised to in marriage, by pretending to be her servant Lisette, who in turn will play the role of her mistress.

Just Love!

2013

Rue du Conservatoire poster
6.8

In 1996 I took the conservatory exam. I missed it. A year ago I was asked to do a masterclass on acting in cinema. I went there. I met a lively, joyful and passionate youth. Among my students there was Clémence. The following year, she asked me to film their last show. I felt her urgency and the fear she had of leaving this mythical place. So I accepted.  By filming this youth, I revisited mine.

Rue du Conservatoire

2024

The Queen of Hearts poster
5.7

In this musical take on everyday life, Adele is devastated after a painful breakup. Her distant cousin, Rachel, finds her a job and suggests that Adele sleep with other men to get over her heartbreak. The search begins, but Adele can’t escape the visage of her former lover….

The Queen of Hearts

2009

The Queen of Hearts poster
5.7

In this musical take on everyday life, Adele is devastated after a painful breakup. Her distant cousin, Rachel, finds her a job and suggests that Adele sleep with other men to get over her heartbreak. The search begins, but Adele can’t escape the visage of her former lover….

The Queen of Hearts

2009

Hand in Hand poster
5.5

From the moment they meet - and against their will - Helene and Joachim begin a lovers' dance they are powerless to stop.

Hand in Hand

2012

Hand in Hand poster
5.5

From the moment they meet - and against their will - Helene and Joachim begin a lovers' dance they are powerless to stop.

Hand in Hand

2012

No artwork available
NR

Based on a fictionalized 2015 memoir from psychiatric nurse Mary Dorsan, the text embeds within a teenage psychiatric ward over the course of a year, teasing out the complex bonds, challenges, frustrations and unexpected moments of grace shared between patients and caregivers.

The Infinite Present Ends

No artwork available
NR

Based on a fictionalized 2015 memoir from psychiatric nurse Mary Dorsan, the text embeds within a teenage psychiatric ward over the course of a year, teasing out the complex bonds, challenges, frustrations and unexpected moments of grace shared between patients and caregivers.

The Infinite Present Ends

No artwork available
1.0

Adèle, a thirty years old woman decides to contact Vidal, a musician she admires. He answers and she’s surprised. Messages are exchanged, a date is arranged. Adèle goes to the met, radiant with joy, but also worried : there’s a detail she forgot to mention, she’s pregnant.

Il fait beau dans la plus belle ville du monde

2008

No artwork available
1.0

Adèle, a thirty years old woman decides to contact Vidal, a musician she admires. He answers and she’s surprised. Messages are exchanged, a date is arranged. Adèle goes to the met, radiant with joy, but also worried : there’s a detail she forgot to mention, she’s pregnant.

Il fait beau dans la plus belle ville du monde

2008